Variety (February 1911)

VARIETY JOHN CORT READY TO LEASE ALL OF 'HIS 'DOLLAR HOUSES" Says S. Morton Cohn May Have Them for •♦Pop" Vaudeville by Paying a Year's Rent in Advance. Suspicion that Cort is in on the Deal. San Francisco, Feb. 1. It is admitted by John Cort, who Is in town, that S. Morton Cohn is nego- tiating with him for all of the houses on the Cort circuit playing "dollar at- tractions." Mr. Cort says the Cohn crowd may have the houses upon pay- ment of a year's rent in advance, but that he will not be interested with Cohn in the proposed ten-cent vaude- ville chain that Cohn is forming. Mr. Cohn is expected to reach here to- night. A report that Cort is after the Mor- ris American is denied by him. It is very probable that if the Cort and Cohn forces get together on a "pop" vaudeville basis for the Cort "dollar houses," Mr. Cort will have a finger in the pie. It is the fullfllment of the plan first devised by Pat Casey for the employment of the Cort thea- tres last summer. At that time S. Morton Cohn came on to New York, interviewed Casey, wanted a "piece" of the proposition and retired west- ward when the deal died out through Cort leaving. Klaw & Erlanger for the "Open Door" of the Shuberts. T. B. C. TAKES ON WINNIPEG. Chicago, Feb. 1. W. B. Lawrence, of Winnipeg, has become director of the Theatrical Booking Corporation, and will book his vaudeville theatre through that agency, starting Feb. 13. The Domin- ion, Winnipeg, is now being remodeled and Improved, to place six-act bills, under a three-a-day policy. The stock company which has been playing at the Dominion will remove to Winni- peg Theatre, and legitimate attrac- tions will hereafter appear in the Wal- ker, where vaudeville has been book- ed by William Morris* Chicago office. E. P. Churchill, who was prominent in the Theatrical Booking Corpora- tion, withdrew when he sold the Tem- ple, Grand Rapids, to Chas. E. Miles. Churchill's Main Street, Peoria, re- mains with the T. B. C. The Washington, Bay City, opened this week with ten vaudeville acts, booked by the T. B. C. Two shows daily are given. The Bay City house first had its bookings credited to the 'oral Morris office. ('IKCrS MAN AROUND THE WORLD. On a trip around the world. Geo. A. Wirth, of ths Australian circus firm of Wirth Brothers, is stopping off in New York for two weeks. Monday Mr. Wirth called at the Now York Marinelll agency in quest of suitable circus acts for his Austra- lian show, which plays the year around.. It is his first visit to New York. From here Mr. Wirth moves on to London. He entered the circus business when three years old. COMMISSION SUIT DISMISSED. The case of B\ A. Myers against Charley Grapewin was dismissed by consent of counsel when it was called for hearing in the 5th District Court, Monday. A complaint in a new ac- tion was filed in the same court im- mediately after the first action was closed. The <new case will come up for hearing Feb. 19. GOVERNMENT ADVERTISES SHOW. Chicago, Feb. 2. Behind all the public bars In Windy- town has been placed, by a deputy United States marshal, a placard signed by United States Attorney Simms, to warn saloon keepers against selling intoxicants to the Indians now appearing with the. Hippodrome show at the Auditorium. The penalty is given, and keepers of "pubs" are re- quired to keep the card conspicuously placed. This is the first time this sort of advertising has been done hereabouts, regardless of the fact that "Buffalo Bill" and "101 Ranch Wild West" shows have been here for weeks at a time, for several years, with more In- dians than the Shuberts carry. POOR FARCE AT THE ROUFFES. Paris, Jan. 23. When it was announced that Cora Laparcerie was producing a three-act play by Antony Mars and H. Lyon at her theatre, the Bouffes Parislens. a Gallic farce of the Palais Royal style, was anticipated, but not such insipid stuff as that produced in "Ma- dame PAmlrale." It is the eternal subject of a wife's infidelity, with complications devoid of real fun. ClaudIne, the young wife of an old admiral, thinks she will surprise her absent husband by adopting a son born to him before their marriage. She imagines it to be a child, but when the son arrives she finds him to be a well developed country yo- kel of twenty-four. The toys and sailor suit are superfluous. The young man makes rapid progress under the influence of his step-mother and Pa- risian life. They fall In love with one another. When the admiral returns from the North Pole he declares he has never had a son, but takes an interest also in the foundling and retains him as his private secretary. The second act Is the best of the three, and has the original situation of the peasant's first appearance be- fore his stupifled patron, but this is not sufficient to make the piece a suc- cess. The performers, headcl by the / manageress as Claud ine, vainly did their utmost to make the thing go. Ken. THEATRE TRANSFER UNVERIFIED San Francisco, Feb. 1. The reported transfer of the lease of the to-be-built Morris theatre at Los Angeles to the Belasco-Blackwood Theatre Company can not be confirm- ed. Manager Davis of the Alcazar disclaims any knowledge of it. At the San Francisco office of William Morris, Western, Inc., there are some papers which show the transfer of the lease of the Los Angeles house to William G. Kerckhoff, of the Pa- cific Light and Power Co. Another report is that the Belasco- Blackwood Co. has taken the Salt Lake City site upon which the Mor- ris western corporation expected to have a house of its own. There is nothing in the story that the American, here, has been disposed of. Walter Hoff Seeley for the Morris company claims it will be operated by them. Another report was that W. H. Leahy is after the American for opera. Leahy intends building a new theatre, to be called the Tivoli. DELMAR THINKS HE IS. Jules Delmar stood in the lobby of the Longacre Building Tuesday after- noon, waiting for the elevator. He was accompanied by several tenants of the edifice. Jules had lunched well and proceeded to spring a few "wheezes," supplemented by the sug- gestion of one of the party that Del- mar was as "good as some comedians in the business." Before the elevator reached the sixth floor two wagers were made— one that Delmar couldn't make good for a single performance, *and another that he hadn't nerve enough to make his appearance. Delmar accepted i>oth wagers and the big "try out" will be pulled off in the near future. WINTER GARDEN ACTIVITY. Honest to goodness, that Winter Garden so much talked about will open "some of these days." Last week there was a noticeable activity about the building that seems to ome.n a start in the future. Just how far in the future no one says. Since the front of the old Horse Exchange has been remodeled and a coat of white paint applied, the r>0th street end of the structure has still been left in its coat of shabby red un- til last week, when as many as half a dozen regular painters appeared on the scene, and after removing their fur-lined overcoats, set about redecor- ating that end of the building. An electric carriage call has also been put in place. And,—well if all the actors who say they have been engaged for the com- pany really go to work there, a stage larger than twice that of the Hippo- drome will be required. And—somewhere in this town there are 80 little broilers who are and have been rehearsing for the past two months for the latest palace of pleas- ure, since reported as having March first set for the date. MAY STRENGTHEN BURLESQUE. Xecotiations are underway to secure the Four Mortons and Pauline, the hypnotist, as "strengtheners" with Eastern Wheel attractions. Both acts are booked for a tour of fhe Pantages Circuit. NAT WELLS ENJOINED. An adjustment may be reached In the injunction proceedings now insti- tuted against Nat Wills by Lederer, Frazee & Woods. Mr. Wills was serv- ed with a temporary writ of Injunc- tion late last week, restraining the monologist from employing any ver- sion of "Every Little Movement Has a Meaning of Its Own" upon the stage. The firm is the proprietor of "Mme. Sherry," where the original song Is sung. Monday Franklin Blen, attorney for Lederer, Frazee & Woods, and Wil- liam Grossman, of House, Vorhaus & Grossman, acting for Mr. Wills, con- sulted, when it was practically agreed that for a weekly royalty Mr. Wills should be given the sole parody sing- ing rights to the number, with the temporary injunction to become a permanent one, the privilege of using a parodied verse to be granted under separate agreement. Mr. Wills has con- sented to the stipulation between at- torneys. "AND COMPANY" NOW AN ACT. Jas. Leonard has notified all the vaudeville managers that he is the exclusive owner of the act in which he has played for years, known as "When Caesar C's Her." The act has been billed for years as James and Sadie Leonard and Co., and Mr. Leon- ard claims that his former employee, heretofore known as "and company," has attempted to infringe on his prop- rietary rights. Mr. Leonard has placed the matter in the hands of his attor- ney. The "and company" is Richard An- derson, who has formed an alliance with a Mr. Evans, and they are offer- ing an act called "When Casey Meets Caesar." PICKS UNCLE JOE'S HOME. Danville, 111., Feb. 1. Just what this burg will do with a vaudeville agent remains to be seen, but Mrs. Geo. De Onzo is going to try it out. She has opened offices In conjunction with her share in develop- ing the Olympic as a family resort and expects to book parks, fairs nnd family theatres. If Mrs. De Onzo can get "Uncle Joe" Cannon to take to vaudeville as a headllner her efforts to become a booking agent in Danville will not have been in vain. RAY RAILEY HAS ITOMAINE. For the past two weeks Ray Bailey, of Genaro and- Bailey, has been con- fined to her apartment with a severe attack of ptomaine poisoning. For a time her life was despaired of. At present Miss Bailey is recovering, al- though it will be several weeks before she will bo able to resume work. SINGER SIGNS REN WIIM'II. Cincinnati, I«Yb. I. Last week Jack Singer, the East- ern Burlesque Wheel manager, and Ben Welch, the monologist, entered into an agreement whereby Welch will appear with one of the Singer shows next season, receding $2"0 weekly and r_ M L''' of tiie net. profits of the company. <' I III.' . -I. >l\ KIKKSMITII SISTKKS,